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I used to just ignore that particular information too – after all, the words “determinate” and “indeterminate” just don’t awaken the senses the way vivid flavor descriptions or unique color patterns do. When the warm days announce that it’s tomato growing season and you’re ready to choose which varieties to include in your garden, there are many characteristics to consider. What will they taste like? How big will they get? What do they look like?...

To ensure that your garden sparkles right until autumn, choose some of the annuals from the following list. There’s a hard-working plant for every environment, from dry or wet conditions to full sun and even deep shade. While perennials add longevity to our gardens, annuals are great for adding a single-season punch of vivid color, interesting form, or a splash of fragrance wherever they’re needed. They’re terrific in beds and borders, and a mainstay in containers, hanging baskets, and window boxes....

Houseplants play a vital role in improving productivity. It has been proven that plants have a positive impact on air quality, which helps in increased focus, improved performance, positive mood, and stress reduction. Here are some of the best Houseplants That Improve Productivity, and you can grow them in the working area! Check out our article on healing houseplants for better health here Houseplants that Improve Productivity 1. Parlor Palm Botanical Name: Chamaedorea elegans...

I bet you want to know which companion plants I’m talking about, yeah? Pumpkins are such friendly looking gourds, aren’t they? It’s hard not to smile when you see them adorning peoples’ porches in the fall. But what’s even better is watching them grow into big, orange beauties in your garden. There’s something even better than that, though: watching the pumpkins grow alongside their best companions, each plant providing a benefit to the others....

Owning one of the best water filters can transform the taste and cleanliness of your water, making your overall drinking experience more enjoyable. Reasons to buy Advanced filtration method Excellent tasting water Reasons to avoid Requires some charging We loved this LARQ design when we tested it, as it combines the practical elements of a pitcher with the advanced features you find in countertop filters. It has a two step filtration process, with an innovative filter that has been designed to ward off harsh contaminants and prioritize taste....

Excellent as cut flowers, they’re the types most often used in florists’ spring bouquets. And some Junos and Dutch selections are wonderful for indoor winter forcing as well. Iris subg. Hermodactyloides, I. subg. Scorpiris, I. subg. Xiphium Iris are highly popular perennial flowers, loved for their gorgeous, rainbow colored blossoms in the late spring garden. Many of us are familiar with the tall, handsome stands of bearded iris and the elegant charm of Japanese or Siberian varieties....

If you are bored of growing the same plain plants, then try these Houseplants with Zebra Print that will surely look amazing with every type of decor! Check out awesome houseplants with tiger patterns here Houseplants with Zebra Print Do note that what we mean by ‘Zebra Print’ are the lines these plants have on their foliage or stems. They might not exactly look like zebra, but these natural lines look fabulous!...

For each of these wildflowers, I’m going to let you know what the foliage and flowers look like, and I’ll share info about about bloom time and height as well. If you’re hoping to create a more sustainable yard or garden, using native plants in the landscape is a no-brainer: these locally adapted species are beautiful, low maintenance, and waterwise. And some native wildflowers are wide-ranging and highly adaptable, making them even easier for more gardeners to grow!...

At the back of our house, we had a lush mango tree, replete with delicious fruit, which as children we would have to grab before the monkeys had their fill. Hibiscus. A flower quite like no other. Appearing in all her glory in the morning, and then fading as the evening sun casts long shadows amongst the trees. I remember this flower well, from my childhood home, a bougainvillea-clad house on the coast of East Africa, with fragrant frangipani and the bright red of the hibiscus....

Clusia rosea features beautiful dark olive green, leathery leaves with a somewhat elliptical shape. But that is not what it is known for–You can write on it, and that’s why it’s called an ‘Autograph Tree.’ It is also prized for absorbing Co2 at night, which makes it a great houseplant. If you too want to grow it, here’s all the information you need on Autograph Tree Care Indoors. Botanical Name: Clusia rosea...

In this article, I’ll cover all you need to know to cultivate common sage in your garden. Salvia officinalis Common, culinary, broadleaf, or golden sage, Salvia officinalis, is a Mediterranean herb in the mint family that is grown as a perennial in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 8. This shrubby perennial has aromatic, grayish-green leaves and spikes of two-lipped lavender flowers. It’s used fresh or dried by cooks and herbalists around the world, and its flavor is described as astringent, and sweet/bitter....

These white flowers left an impression on me, and I knew they had to go in my family’s garden. It took some shopping (this was before smartphones and the “Everybody Gets a Website” age), but we acquired some and planted them. Beautiful, fragrant flowers, here I come! Convallaria majalis The first time I encountered lily of the valley, I smelled it before I saw it. I was hiking near a forested swamp and was caught off guard by something that smelled pleasant....

While black-eyed peas do take a relatively long time – 80 to 100 days – to produce mature, dried beans, they require very little watering, no fertilizer, and just occasional weeding. Vigna unguiculata subsp. unguiculata I have a bridge-playing friend whose favorite expression is, “I’d rather be lucky than good.” Black-eyed peas, though, they’re both. These Southern US favorites are a New Year’s Day good luck tradition. But if you grow them in your vegetable garden, they’re also good: for the soil, for areas that get hot as Hades, and for drought resistance....

However, when they have eye-catching qualities, they suddenly pop into focus, increasing their garden value. A trait I particularly love is variegated leaves. Shrubs add structure and depth to the landscape as substantial mid-story forms that function as specimen plantings, backdrops to lower profile plants, and transitional armature between ground and canopy layers. There are also compact varieties suitable for small spaces and container growing. It’s easy to overlook the bushes in our yards as nondescript blobs that we garden around....

Although the Aussie marsupial bests this plant at jumping, kicking, and carrying around joeys in a pouch, Phymatosorus diversifolius can survive with less water and humidity than other ferns. Phymatosorus diversifolius For those new to growing ferns indoors who want to start off on easy mode, then this is the species for you. Just like an actual kangaroo, the kangaroo fern is one tough customer. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

To put it simply, dracaena makes learning the art of bonsai easy. If you’re looking to dip your toe into the world of bonsai but you don’t want to start with anything too difficult, dracaena plants are about to become your new best friends. Most bonsai needs to be kept outdoors and requires a careful balance of water, bright light, and regular feedings. Dracaena, on the other hand, can live inside all year long, and is perfectly happy in low light....

In this guide, we’ll get you started by exploring some strategies for propagating, cultivating, and maintaining these plants, including how to manage pests and disease and best utilize them in your outdoor space. Anemonoides nemorosa and A. quinquefolia Wood anemones are spring ephemerals that quickly burst above the surface of humus-rich soils under and around tree-filled areas in the early spring, only to die back in midsummer to lie dormant until the following year....

If you have a friend with a mature, dazzling garden already, you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed. The scent! The sight! The color! Everything about that experience was magical, and you’d better believe I stopped to smell the flowers. Several times. Since then, I’ve helped people in my family cultivate rose gardens, and I’m here to help you, too. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

But these beauties have a place in the home garden, too. You take the amber waves of grain. I think the most beautiful farm view in America is a glorious field of blooming black oil sunflowers. This variety of Helianthus annuus, the common sunflower, is the most popular type for commercial growers involved in vegetable oil production. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

While perhaps not the most thrilling crop of the season, I love turnips for their hearty reliability, nutritional value, and great storage potential. Brassica rapa subsp. rapa I like to think of planning my garden as a balancing act. While it takes a bit of self-restraint each year to keep from filling every inch of my yard with juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, and giant sunflowers, I always appreciate the space I set aside for storage crops come winter....